Conroy_L _269053_ETL411_ Assignment 2 1

Semester*: 1
Date Due*: 26
th
May
Unit Code*: ETL 411
Unit Name*: TEACHING THE CURRICULUM 1 /
INTEGRATING LITERACY
Students Full Name*: Luke Conroy Student No*: 269053
Assignment Title*: Assessment 2: Curriculum Through Literacy
Students Email: * lukefconroy@gmail.com
Students
Phone No: 0448-511-762
I declare that all material in this assessment is my own work except where there is a
clear acknowledgement and reference to the work of others. I have read the
Universitys Academic and Scientific Misconduct Policy and understand its
implications.* http://www.cdu.edu.au/policies/academicandscientificmisconductpolicy.pdf
I agree I do not agree
Double click on the square check box to mark as checked.
CHECKLIST*

Task Checked
1 I have completed the form above*:
2 My CDU email address is activated*
3 I have read and understood the important information on
this form*.

4 I have kept a copy of my assignment*.
5 I have acknowledged and referenced the work of others*
6 I have named my file correctly using the unit code, my name,
student number and assignment number.

7 I have filled in the footer page and identified my file
correctly*

8 I have saved the assignment in a compatible format e.g.
.Microsoft word doc or txt*

9 My assignment file size does not exceed 2MB*
10 I have reread and checked all the assessment requirements.*



Conroy_L _269053_ETL411_ Assignment 2 2





For Your Consideration: This document outlines why the Museum of Old and New Art
(MONA) is a valuable learning and teaching resource for 21
st
century students and how it can
be utilized across multiple disciplines at Hobart College, Tasmania.

Figure 1 Tasmanians 175 million dollar Museum of Old and New Art, a learning environment
full of potential.



Conroy_L _269053_ETL411_ Assignment 2 3
According to Kalantzis and Cope, in 21
st
century education learning succeeds or fails
to the extent that it engages the various subjectivities of learners (2012 p.385). In order
to engage todays students, learning must occur through multiple modes and as such
learners must be multi-literate. This need for multiple literacies means contemporary
students not only engage and communicate through writing, but also oral, audio,
visual, tactile, gestural and spatial representations. It is the aim of this paper to
recommend an out-of-class activity (OOCA) that involves these different and
complimentary ways of meaning and learning in order to provide students at our
school with an enhanced and purposeful learning experience. Ultimately, it is through
such activities that we can focus on the recently revised aims of Hobart College to give
increased attention to students literacy, numeracy, engagement and retention.
Our Teaching Context:
Hobart College is part Tasmanias challenging educational context, containing the
lowest overall retention rates and highest unemployment of the Australian states
(Department of Education 2012 p.3). We are a government co-ed facility for year 11
and 12 students who are predominately white, of middle to low socio-economic status
with a range of past experiences and future aspirations. This OOCA is produced in
response to my area of teaching in art specifically Art Production 3 and Art Studio
Practice 3 as managed by the Tasmanian Qualifications Authority but is broad
enough to maintain relevance across various disciplines and skill levels.
Out of Class Activity:
This OOCA is based at MONA with follow up work and assessment occurring in
class. The museum trip in common port of call for teachers, however it is often
underutilised in its capacity to incite complex thinking, creativity and multisensory
learning (Murawski, 2011). To address what Kisiel calls the awkward marriage
between museums and schools, this OOCA utilises theories surrounding multi-
literacies and outlines how MONA provides the perfect context to do so. In this way,
the museum trip can be applied as an opportunity for enrichment rather than reward
(Greene et al. 2014). Thus, the OOCA becomes an opportunity for student engagement
outside the classroom while ensuring this is not at the expense of our responsibilities
to curriculum goals or various education stakeholders.



Conroy_L _269053_ETL411_ Assignment 2 4
Why is MONA useful?
MONA is useful for 21
st
century students, as it
fundamentally embraces 21
st
century ideas. In
borrowing from the Wunderkammer tradition,
MONA presents an eclectic range of art objects that
deliberately avoid the taxonomic and didactic
conventions of normative museological practices
(Vergo 1989; Bennet 1995). It encourages an active
and democratic engagement by diverging from the
traditional museums contemplative white space
(Papastergiadis 2010 p.15) where respect is engendered through a look but dont
touch philosophy (Emmison & Smith 2000 p.171). MONA also engages by steering
away from highly specific or culturally located themes. Instead, MONA appeals
through voyeurism, curiosity, humour, shock, wonder and desire. As familiar
emotions, drawn on and pursued by all, MONA has universal appeal, allowing
meaningful engagement with art in a democratic context. This is a context favorable to
a multiliteracies approach to learning, which focuses on the inevitable fluidity of
meanings, their different interpretations and the necessity to negotiate meanings
socially (Kalantzis & Cope 2012 p.180). MONAs structure and ethos corresponds
directly with contemporary teaching practices. As this multi-million dollar space is
only 17km from our college and offers free entry to all Tasmanian residents, it has
enormous potential for our students.
Figure 3 - Tactile experiences of art, visitors can
engage with art in many ways at MONA.
Figure 2 - Visual and spatial experiences, away from the
'contemplative white space' typical of many museums.



Conroy_L _269053_ETL411_ Assignment 2 5
The Assessment Task:
MONA is a space closely aligned to critical literacy pedagogy, where learning is
democratic, pluralist, open-ended and truths problematic. It also lends itself to
authentic literacy pedagogy, a learner centred approach where learning is active and
meaningful, moving beyond the hopelessness of teaching with lists of facts (Cope &
Kalantzis 2012 p.113). This alignment is best understood through MONAs decision to
have no wall labels accompanying the art. As in critical literacy pedagogy, participants
become active learners where meanings and ideas are constructed individually,
without the strict mediation of an authoritative person (teacher/museum operator) or
order (art label/textbook). In addition however, viewers at MONA have the option of
having carrying the O-Device, a modified IPod Touch and Headphone set. This
multimedia device acts as a virtual multimodal textbook where further information
on art works can be assessed. Here, viewers can access sections like Summary (basic
information on the artist and artwork), Art Wank (academic or creative writing), Gonzo
(stories, ideas, poems) or Media (audio interviews with the artist, accompanying
sounds). This device and the MONA experience as a whole exemplifies the
multimodal experience and pedagogies which Kalantzis and Cope outline as essential
in teaching multiliteracies.



Figure 4 - The 'O-Device' encourages multiliteracies by offering information through
multiple modes and across multiple genres.



Conroy_L _269053_ETL411_ Assignment 2 6
Embracing this multimodal tool and promoting the multiliterate student, this OOCA
will requires students to:
1. During: Explore the museum environment, engaging with the art, forming own
ideas, engaging with ideas from the O-Device, teachers and peers and recording
this overall experience concurrently.
2. After: Individually or as a group, create 1-2 piece(s) of work in response to an
artwork at MONA that could become part of the information presented in the
O-Device (i.e. visual, audio, oral, written).

Learning Purpose:
This OOCA supports the development of multiliterate students as it requires them to
engage in an environment involving oral and written language alongside audio,
visual, tactile, gestural and spatial relationships. The student must interpret and
respond to this environment, developing multiliteracies by producing work across
multiple modes of representation. As Kalantzis and Cope outline, in a pedagogy of
multiliteracies, all ways of meaning, including language, are regarded as dynamic
processes of transformation rather than processes of reproduction (2012 p.187-8). In
this way, like the art contained in the museum itself, students will become integrated
in the three stage process of learning which defines multiliterate students: design
(taking available ideas), designing (combining these ideas into a meaning),
[re]designed (the end tangible communicated piece) (Kalantzis & Cope, 2012). The
process involved in these [re]design skills, as developed in this OOCA, are beneficial
across disciplines as well as life beyond school. Thus, it is both in the end product but
also the process that this OOCA is beneficial for our students.
What Might This Task Look Like?:
During: Students initially explore the environment of MONA spatially and visually. It
becomes a space for diverse modes of communication as various layers of meaning are
uncovered. This meaning making occurs both individually and through informal
person-to-person verbal exchange (between teachers and peers) where communication
is linear, spontaneous and driven by emotion. Referring to the O-Device for
additional information, students crossover between formal and informal written



Conroy_L _269053_ETL411_ Assignment 2 7
accounts of the art, listen to spoken interviews with artists and listen to accompanying
soundtracks to various pieces. This is followed again by peer and teacher (who
respond to teachable moments) communication, demonstrating the three stage
process of [re]design, where new meanings are constantly negotiated. Just from this
small snapshot, we see how this OOCA involves synesthesia, the process of shifting
backwards and forwards between different modes of meaning (Kalantzis & Cope
2012: 195). It is this conscious mode switching process that promotes multiliteracies
and it is through these different and complimentary ways of knowing which makes
for a more powerful and relevant learning experiences (Kalantzis & Cope 2012: 271).
After: To consolidate on the experience of the OOCA at MONA, learning must occur
after the initial museum visit. This is aided by an additional feature of the O-Device:
its ability to save each students tour, which can be revisited on the MONA website.
Students can then view a 3D model of their specific tour through the museum and
investigate all the information made available on the device (even for the artworks
they missed) (Art Processors 2012 p.2). This feature allows students to refresh and
reflect upon the OOCA in the class environment in order to complete the required
assessment pieces. Through reference to the online multimedia and the written notes
compiled during the OOCA, the student is well placed to construct a response to their
museum experience, one that could be included on the O-Device.
Here, the possibilities are diverse. An art work might resonate with a student or group
on various emotional levels: shock in response to a piece on suicide bombers, awe in a
preserved Egyptian mummy or disgust from a machine which turns food into
human-like waste. In the example of my art class, comprising a mixture of artistic
disciplines, individual and collaborative responses to these encounters might include
music responses, informal musings, academically referenced research, audio
interviews or additional visual art pieces. Like the OOCA experience, in class students
become involved in the process of synesthesia and develop multiliteracies. Here, each
student responds to their encounters by redesigning elements of their experience,
creating what Kalantzis and Cope call objects of interpretation (2012 p.263).
Subsequently, rather than the OOCA being purely a reward or passive learning
experience, it has become a purposeful learning exercise where students are
designers of meaning who rework, reinterpret and change rather than just decoding
or following rules (Kalantzis & Cope 2012 p.242). Overall, through constructing their



Conroy_L _269053_ETL411_ Assignment 2 8
own responses and experiencing the responses of others across multiple modes,
students are empowered to learn and create meaning in cognitively powerful ways
(Kalantzis & Cope 2012 p.338).

Assessment:
The assessment of this OOCA is open to both formative (during MONA visit) and
summative (in-class work) assessment. In my teaching context of Art Production the
summative component would assess students on criterion 4 (ability to communicate
ideas, emotions and information) by observing their verbal response to art works in-situ.
The summative component would assess work completed in-class, in my context a
students ability to observe, analyse and creatively respond to cultural influences and art
works (TQA 2012 p.10). Through these assessments in response to the OOCA, the
student is then well position to meet the following learning outcomes:

Figure 5 - Cloaca Professional by Wim Delvoye, one work at MONA that students might choose to
respond to with disgust, humour or interest.



Conroy_L _269053_ETL411_ Assignment 2 9
Analyse and respond reflectively and creatively to cultural influences and art works.
Communicate ideas, emotions and information.
Analyse and evaluate art ideas and information.
Plan, organise and complete activities.
(TQA 2012 p.3).

Framing the OOCA around these broad learning outcomes provides the benefit of
promoting the students performance, rather than learning facts and rules (Kalantzis
& Cope 2012 p. 402). This links the OOCA to an authentic literacy pedagogy
framework. Here, the practices that the student is being assessed on during school
education closely resemble the broader practices essential for future employment and
meaningful 21
st
century lives. Alongside content specific learning, it is these broader
learning outcomes that deserve equal attention.
Diversity - Not just high-achievers and not just artists:
Hammond identifies the consistent correlation between (low) educational success
and factors such as socio-economic background, ethnicity, and status as a second
language learner" (2008 p.101). The benefit of this OOCA therefore is providing these
students with the opportunity for purposeful learning. It does so by promoting social
interactions and assessment opportunities where cultural subjectivities are encouraged
rather than ignored. The strength of using art as a learning tool is that it provides a
certain safety net where a valid response is not culturally located. Instead, during this
OOCA each piece of art work can be interpreted and engaged with in a way which
respects and harnesses each students specific life world, allowing them to play to
their strengths and preferred learning styles. The democracy of engagement and
response encouraged at MONA encourages multilingualism and the inclusion of ESL
or other disadvantaged students who may lack the necessary communicative codes
required for meaningful learning in traditional classroom environments.
Importantly, while the explanation of this OOCA has been contextualised within my
specific teaching area, it is hoped that its focus on combining authentic and critical
literacy pedagogies can be utilised more broadly. Whether in sociology, history,
science or drama this OOCA allows multi-disciplinary responses. While the quality



Conroy_L _269053_ETL411_ Assignment 2 10
and genre of response may change through different year levels or disciplines, the
broader emphasis on recognising MONAs capability to inspire emotional and
intellectual enquiry remains. Ultimately, this OOCA does not propose a major shift in
pedagogies, but rather emphasises the value of MONA to promote a particular
approach to learning to be utilised as part of a broader learning journey. As Kalantzis
and Cope (2012 p.369) suggest, a purposeful weaving between different epistemic
moves for explicitly targeted outcomes promotes better overall learning for a
diversity of students.
In Summary:
This OOCA embraces the idea that [a]ll meaning is intrinsically, unavoidably,
always, humanly, multimodal (Kalantzis & Cope 2012 p.319). MONA is a multi-
million dollar, world-class, multimodal environment that is free to use and located
nearby. It promotes an equality of experience, where one is free to engage and respond
to it personally. These features encourage participation, engagement and learning that
is consistent with requirements for 21
st
century lives. As Kalantzis and Cope outline,
[l]iteracy teaching is not only about skills and competence; it is also aimed at creating
a kind of person, an active designer of meaning, with a sensibility open to differences,
problem-solving, change and innovation (2012 p.188). It is at MONA and through
this OOCA that we can embrace these features and not only satisfy the diverse
learning and assessment needs of our students but empower them generally to live
meaningful and successful lives.






Conroy_L _269053_ETL411_ Assignment 2 11
References:
Art Processors (2012) Retrieved from:
www.artprocessors.net/news/resources/ArtProcessors_Mona_overview.pdf
Department of Education (2013) Future provision of Years 11 and 12 education in regional
Tasmania Ministers Action Plan. Retrieved from:
www.education.tas.gov.au/documentcentre/Documents/Future-Provision-of-
Years-11-and-12-Ministers-Action-Plan.pdf
Emmison, Michael and Philip Smith (2000) Researching the Visual. London: Sage.
Greene, J.P., Kisida, B. & Bowen, D.H. (2014) The Educational Value of Field Trips.
Education Next (14)1 Retreived from: http://educationnext.org/the-educational-
value-of-field-trips/
Hammond, J. (2008). Challenging pedagogies: Engaging ESL students in intellectual
quality. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, The, 31(2), 101. Retrieved from:
http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy.cdu.edu.au/documentSummary;dn=180565
845486247;res=IELHSS
Kalantzis, M., & Cope, B. (2012). Literacies. Port Melbourne: Cambridge University
Press.
Murawski, M. (2011) Not Just for Field Trips Any More: 7 Ways to Ignite Learning at the
Art Museum. Retrieved from: ecologyofeducation.net/wsite/?p=3609

Papastergiadis, Nikos (2010) Spatial Aesthetics, Art, Place, and the Everyday. Amsterdam:
Institute of Network Cultures.
Tasmanian Qualifications Authority (2010) Art Production. Retrieved from:
http://www.tqa.tas.gov.au/4DCGI/_WWW_doc/112986/RND01/Art_Produc
tion_TQA3.pdf
Vergo, Peter (1989) The New Museology. London: Reaktion Books.







Conroy_L _269053_ETL411_ Assignment 2 12
Figure Reference:
Figure 1 - [image] Retrieved from:
http://amodernwayfarer.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/mona-corten-stairwell-
2.jpg
Figure 2 - [image] Retrieved from: http://art-for-the-
world.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/new-playground-danser-la-musique-by.html
Figure 3 - [image] Retrieved from: http://artblart.com/2011/08/17/the-museum-of-
old-and-new-art-mona-hobart/
Figure 4 - [image] Retrieved from: http://reckoner.com.au/2014/05/art-processors/
Figure 5 - [image] Retrieved from:
http://blogs.cofa.unsw.edu.au/artwrite/files/2012/05/72_WIM_DELVOYE.jp
g